I felt attracted by the idea without questions or expectations of how it would be. And I had never been to Munich. I’m originally from Berlin and Bavarians are historically considered as our archenemies! So I was looking forward to discover the unknown and meet friends.

The first happening of the event was a MedMob meditation at the Odeonsplatz where about 150 people sat for a one-hour silent meditation. Mahendra told me that there were about 150 meditators; half were sannyasins and half were people who just joined the event.

Unfortunately I have missed it as my train arrived too late in Munich. My friend Ila met me at the station and we headed straight to the English Garden, where Mega had set up the meeting point in a traditional beergarden.

Meeting and picking up Sufi-Sam by chance on the way in the subway, we arrived at the English tower where some hundreds of Bavarians and tons of tourists where sitting at long wooden tables drinking beer and eating Haxen (pork knuckles).

Many of them were wearing this special Bavarian outfit: boys in leather pants and girls in a 3-piece colorful dress called Dirndl. I was told that this party called the Oktoberfest takes place every year and lasts for many days and that some thousands of liters of beer are consumed….

It was not difficult to spot ‘The Tribe’. Wow: so many familiar faces. For many I could neither remember names nor where we had met. It was a long time ago, but it did not matter: the hugs were always nice.

“Oh, I know you from Poona 1, we had done Encounter together, etc, etc.”

Some bonds for me were still very strong, especially from my early sannyas days in 1978 in Berlin and my short commune experience in Bremen, and of course Poona. Some friends I had not seen for almost 30 years.

Sooooo nice.

Yes, it was in big parts a journey on memory lane, but the heartfelt connections and the depths of the meetings were always Here and Now, juicy and fresh and new.

As drinking beer is not really my favourite occupation, after some time we headed to the Klangheilzentrum where more ‘meditative’ activities took place. Mahendra (aka Ananya), Saarangi, Yashen and friends had foreseen that in The Tribe there would be people with different interests and had organized a beautiful two-day program.

I enjoyed a lot the chanting with Anugraha, singing old and new heartfelt songs together. After great Indian chai we did an evening meditation with an Osho video. I especially liked the quite ‘untraditional’ music Jayant had chosen for us to dance to before the video started. New and alive!

Next morning, a Satsang with beautiful live music took place, with more hugs and chai afterwards. Unfortunately I had to skip the bodywork sessions, which were proposed, but I really wanted to see a bit of Munich and Ila took me on a tour to the Isar River, with brunch and a stroll through town and showed me all the sannyas businesses which still exist.

Later in the afternoon we participated in a Path of Love Event with Jayant and whirled in the No Dimensions Meditation led by Sam. And in between, always meeting friends, hugs, sharing. Sunday night, the celebration continued at a disco which was the last official event of the gathering.

This is where I noticed that the ‘Buddha section’ of our fellow travellers was definitely less represented than the ‘Zorba section’: there were tons of people at the Party and a lot less at the mediations… (I later heard that some friends did not move from the Oktoberfest in the English Garden for the full two days; they must have enjoyed the good Bavarian beer!) Mahendra told me that people had come from France, Australia, Spain, Holland, Israel and from different places in Germany, like Cologne and Freiburg….

Last minute finale was the moment we expressed our gratefulness to Mega for taking the initiative to kick off this beautiful event. He was quite moved….

In the train on my way back to Freiburg I was pondering:

Many of us at this gathering were ‘old-timers’, and I thought it was funny to see that the average age was well over 40. Very different from the parties in the Resort in Poona nowadays, where the younger generation dominates. I must say, I enjoy both!

At some point I had to think of the Ranch and I remembered that it had always been easy for me to bow down during the gachchhamis to my master and the ultimate truth. But to bow down to his commune… that was not so easy – I had my ups and downs.

At the Munich Gathering I felt that although there is no more a ‘physical commune’ there are lots of Buddhafields all over the world, where each one has its place and each one is equally representative of Osho’s vision. The different expressions and views feel beautiful and alive to me.

I love the mini-Buddhafield in Freiburg where I live since a couple of months. I enjoy the satsang or videos and potluck dinners together, with no fixed dates and where each host can add their particular flavour.

Now I bow down to the wide-spread commune of Osho in all their forms, all over the world.

Sangham sharanam gachchhami

And again thanks to ‘The Zorba’ Mega for initiating the Munich Gathering and overseeing the English Garden event. And thanks to the Buddhas Mahendra-Ananja, Saraangi, Yashen. And thanks to all of you who have come to share love and fun together.

Samai discovered Osho in a small a center in Berlin and took sannyas in Poona in 1978. There she worked in the boutique till the end of Poona 1. After a short stay in Bremen she went to the Ranch and later followed Osho back to Poona. Samai is running a successful therapy center in France where she leads groups and trainings in Primal, Inner child Work, Family Constellations as well as business coaching. A few months ago she moved back to Germany, settling in Freiburg, in a charming little town in the Black Forest.

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Why should any discipline be imposed on you? – Turning In, Ch 8

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Osho Quote

Time exists because we cannot see clearly. It is just as if you look out onto the street from the keyhole. A man is coming but you cannot see him. Suddenly he is there – but he was before. Suddenly he disappears again – he is still somewhere but your keyhole makes it difficult to see. Your keyhole creates the past, the present and the future.
Just a moment before the man was not there, so the person who has never left his keyhole will think that the man has appeared out of nothingness. That’s what future is. And when the man has gone a little further from the keyhole you cannot see him, and now you say that he has disappeared into the past.
The past is that which you cannot see any more, and the future is that which you cannot see yet.
But the man was there, is there, will be there. It is your key-hole that has created time. If you can come out, then you will see that the past was also present, the present is also present, and the future too, is present. Only the present is. Only now is. But remember the present is not part of time. The present is timeless… eternal.
Time is a concept because we are looking through the mind. The mind is the keyhole.

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